I would like to thank Netgalley and Bookouture for an advance copy of A Body on the Doorstep, the first novel to feature Mabel Canning, set in London in 1921.

Mabel has recently arrived in London determined to be an independent woman. She has a new job at the Useful Women’s Agency where she undertakes jobs as varied as flower arranging and dog washing, although nothing prepares her for answering the door at Guy Despard’s wake to find a dead body, holding a letter for the widow, Rosalind. She joins forces with Rosalind’s brother, Park Winstone, to investigate.

I thoroughly enjoyed A Body on the Doorstep, which is a lighthearted read with a puzzling plot. It is told entirely from Mabel’s point of view, which I like as the reader has no more information than she does and can guess alongside her.

I got really engrossed in the plot so I read it in one sitting. There are so many unanswered questions at the start of the novel, not least the identity of the body, that the reader keeps reading to get some answers and, boy, are there answers. The plotting is clever and it all ties up nicely at the end, including putting Mabel on a new path. To be fair, there is a lot of coincidence and leaps in the novel, but it doesn’t actually matter in the overall enjoyment, especially when it comes together in such a satisfying way.

The novel is light rather than humorous, with a sunny tone and the odd laugh as Mabel and Park stumble through a series of incidents to arrive at the solution. There is even a hint of potential romance, but, obviously Mabel is an independent woman not interested in a relationship. We’ll see.

A Body on the Doorstep is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.